Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-14

| strange and unusual was occurring under
| the roof of Roderick Lynton. L listened,
but save the whirring of insects in the
night air, there was not the faintest sound.
L have always possessed that physical
| courage which is the reward, in part at
least, of healthy, well-poised nerves. And
so, lying there wide awake, l soon rea-
soned away the impression which had
seized upon me. Suddenly there came into
| my mind remembrance of the long, dark
closet in my old chamber, whose shelves
| were heaped with books, one of which
might serve either to entertain me while
| awake or to make sleepy.
slipped noiselessly out of the door and
| through the long hall turning at GATHERINGS
| chamber and entering my former room.
In the all-revealing moonShlne every
thing was oddly familiar. But as l began
| to feel along the shelves for the coveted
books | noticed with surprise that there
! were no traces of those recent repairs of
which my cousin had spoken. Taking a
| pile of volumes in my arms, tried, while
standing at the window, TO read one of
| their titles. ! had made choice of one, and
was Just advancing to restore the others to
their places, when a noise coming from the
| room directly overhead struck me with
| dismay. Some one whose footsteps were
slow, regular and unmistakable, was pacing
| up and down the floor, and, a moment
| later, | heard the sound of low and
| smothered groan. | made no attempt to
| fly, but, sinking down in the closet, gazed
with painful intentness into the gloomy
| hall, which now dared not enter in order
to regain my room.
The warning which Mrs. Lynton had
| given me flashed into my mind, and tried
to scream, to stir, to do anything which
might arouse the occupants of the house to
| a af kr,f
had deprived me of all power save that of
staring helplessly into the darkness.
As | looked, | became conscious that
some one was descending the stairway. An
| approaching step defined itself more and
more distinctly, though stealthily, and q
feeble ray of light tinged the utter black
ness in the hall. Ere had fully decided
upon the couise this horrifying visitant
would take towards its fell purposes, my
| heart gave a sudden bound of relief.
| 1t was my cousin Dorothy herself, who,
| candle in hand, came among the shadows.
! must have made some faint sound, for
she paused abruptly, half turned, as if for
| flight, listened an instant i1esolutely, then
| with the swift uncertain movement of an
affrightened bird, FASTENED towards her
own chamber. ] caught one glimpse of her
face, so blanched, SO troubled, so changed
| from Its debonair rosiness, that the words |
might have uttered died upon my lips.
My cousin Dorothy, then, must be aware
OF the presence of the occupant of that
! upper chamber 4 sharp bang of agon-
! lied doubt tortured me at this conviction.
| VINO could ii be, thus hidden under an
! hospital and hitherto most honorable roof?
| Assuredly It was not the master of the
| house, for | heard his halfaWakened ut
| terance as l stole quietly to nv room.
| Crawling into bed, awaited shivering. a
| repetition of these mysterious sounds but
the remoteness OF my chamber doubtless
| rendered them ineudible.
heard them many times afterwards, for
singular fascination drew me nightly. in
spite OF myself, to my former apartment.
| said nothing concerning them to any one,
as found myself strangely bound to re-
frain from revealing my discovery to Mr.
Lynton himself
But / could not prevent a certain sense
OF loathing as l narrowly watched, during
the days that followed, my cousin Dorothy,
L think she dimly OWNED something of
my feeling, aud suffered under it. Ger
tainly she grew thin, and it was clear that
she was mentally much disturbed. Her
changeful color, the nervous starts she
gave at the unexpected slamming of the
door, or the crunch of football upon the
gravel, her covert scrutiny of her husband,
all proved to me that, for the first time in
her life, Mrs. Lynton was concealing
something-that my cousin Dorothy had a
secret. Once | made an effort to unyeiI
the mystery tor myself. Creeping quietly
up the long stairs, hoped to enter that
forbidden room. But the door in the hall
leading to it was locked, and the undis-
turbed silence quite shook my belief that
picions which already seemed unworthy of
me, l went away. feeling half guilty and
resolved to dismiss the matter, as far as
possible from my thoughts.
had been a month at Ernscliff, when.
coming in from ramble, found talking
to Mr.. Lynton man whose speech con-
tanned an element entirely unfamiliar to
my ear. He turned abruptly at my en-
trance, revealing face clear-cut and hand
some, notwithstanding its extreme pallor,
which his hair and beard, both black and
silky, served to intensity
Miss Lynton, Mr.. Thanescourt." said
my cousin Roderick, introducing him.
The stranger fixed grave look upon me,
from eyes of a deep, fathomless blue,
bowed courteously, and resumed his inter
rupted conversation.
The applicant for the vacancy at the
academy" explained my cousin Dorothy,
in q swift aside
I" A schoolmaster At all events, tail
and MISUNDERSTANDING man." l whis-
pered
She flashed a quick, apprehensive glance
at me, then serenely lifted her neglected
knitting.
| do not know how Mr. Thanescourt in
duced Mr.. Lynton not only to use his in
tiuence in securing the position he desired
but to receive him as a boarder Il NAV
have been a first proof of the magnetic
power which the man undoubtedly pos
sessed, and, subsequently, exercised i'm par
TALLY upon the entire household / alone
held myself aloof from him, much, I i'm
agined. to the relief of my cousin Dorothy.
| rarely spoke tC him, while he as seldom
addressed conversation to me.
Always a close reader of the military
movements daily chronicled, l nov began
to experience a strange and even malicious
pleasure in discussing news from the seat
of war. | learnedly explained strategic
movements, adored our bows in blue. elo-
rified the skill of our Generals. abused the
rebels roundly, and delighted the patriotic
soul of my cousin Roderick.
Felix 1hanescourt listened attentively,
asked few questions, and never made direct
comment upon my talk. l never saw him
at all moved by my vivid utterances; per-
haps this it was that piqued me into max
| ing them so frequently.
| The academy was not to open it's doors
for some weeks, and was SURPRISED to find
that Mr.. Thanescourt neither left the roof
of Mr.. Lynton, nor sought the acquaint-
ance of the friends who called. Overflow
! ing with redundant life, | came to despise
| this man as being too inert to follow even
the windings of tie stream to thread the
| byways of ErnscHff, or to cross the gray
old bridge above the roaring waterfall.
Yet, he never fastened his dark-blue eyes
upon me, that my whole being did not
thrill with an emotion half-delicious, half
resentful.
1t was late in the summer when the
meaning of it all broke clearly upon me.
l do not try to explain the pertinacity with
which continued to pay nightly visits to
my old room. But there came an hour
when sitting there l heard overhead once
more those same regular footsteps, that
same smothered groen, which of late had
nearly forgotten. A mad impulse seized
me, and, mounting the stairs, l hurriedly
traversed the hall and quickly threw open
the door of that unused room, so well re-
membered, though now so rarely entered.
My cousin Dorothy leaned over bed, her
face white and rigid. and half-upright be-